Skip to main content

Carols and God Singing

There is something about music at Christmas that fills my whole being with peace and joy.   I don't mean the "cheesy" music of "Jingle bell rock" or "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus".  Unfortunately public places are much more likely to have that kind of music on and it doesn't lead me to that place of peace and joy, but rather to want to escape!
Still, there is lots of great music...old carols, beautiful orchestras and choirs, fantastic instrumental music to celebrate the season.  Over the years I've collected hundreds of great classical pieces of music - to the point that I can press play on my IPod and it will play for days on end without repeating.
I put on this music and it operates in the background.  A lot of the time I don't even know what is playing, but then once in a while I'll catch the sound out of the air and for that brief moment of time I'm caught back up in the message.

I love this verse from the prophet Zephaniah:
Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

While I love the music around me, here's another music that is amazing to me.  I got to hold my brand new Granddaughter yesterday.  I held on to this tiny baby and smiled, and spoke to her, and then sang to her.  Not loud songs, but the gentle whispers of one who madly loves this child.
Do you think maybe that God's singing over us is this gentle whisper of one who madly loves?

We sing and make music because it comes from within...something is happening on the inside of us that needs to come out into the air and be declared:

Singing is a part of our faith and trust in God...
Psalm 5:11 (NIV)
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Singing is a declaration of who God is...
Psalm 68:4 (NIV)
4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds-- his name is the LORD-- and rejoice before him.

Singing is not circumstantial, but it is hopeful when all is not well...
Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NIV)
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Singing is Mary when told she is to have a child...
Luke 1:46-47 (NIV)
46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 


Singing is not just on earth...it even comes from heaven.
Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

AND then there is Zephaniah 3:17...and God sings.  Music captivates, declares, helps us connect our faith with the reality and truth we know.  When that moment comes today and you catch the sound of that carol, that hymn, that choir...stop and think about the mystery and majesty that is ours because Our God sings to us.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wednesday, Day 25: Christmas Eve - God Loves Us (So We Can Relax)

For Kids: There’s a lot of things we have to do each day. Get up from our sleep, Get dressed, Eat Breakfast, Get ready for School, Listen to the teacher, play with friends, eat our lunch, and after it’s all done, go back home. There’s time to play, Then we eat our supper… And eventually we have to get ready for bed and go to sleep! And then we do it all over again the next day. Sometimes there’s a vacation - like right now - and we get more time to play, to have fun and not have to do work at school. Our parents are good at helping us know what time it is and what we need to do next – even when we don’t want to move on to the next thing.  God is also good at helping us know what time it is, and what is next.  He doesn’t shout at us, or yell, or even scream…he does it peacefully, quietly.  He wants us to understand that he does it, most of all, for us. Christmas can be quite busy and there’s lots of things going on at once…but l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Joy to the World - Help is On the Way

It’s the first day of Advent– while you prepare for Worship this morning at church take a minute to ask God to direct you through this season that you might be prepared to “receive your King”. In the first week of Advent we celebrate the PROMISE of His Coming. His promise is based on our need. We were made in his image, but there is emptiness in our soul that is the result of the Fallen nature of sin. But why did Jesus come? What in his coming announces God's heart? His desire for us to know and experience? 10 BUT THE ANGEL SAID TO THEM, "DO NOT BE AFRAID; FOR BEHOLD, I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY WHICH WILL BE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE; 11 FOR TODAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID THERE HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD. GREAT JOY! Did you know that God is Joyful? 1 CHRONICLES 16:23-27 (NASB) 23 SING TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH; PROCLAIM GOOD TIDINGS OF HIS SALVATION FROM DAY TO DAY. 24 TELL OF HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, HIS WONDERFUL DEEDS AMONG ALL THE PEOPLES....
46 comments
Read more

The Gospel of Matthew - Coming: An Exposition and Devotional on the Life of Jesus

Preface  I just finished writing a daily devotional of the book of Matthew with an emphasis on expositing the text and bringing some daily devotional thoughts to the text.  It will be a 40-day journey reading the book of Matthew and the things I wrote within it. Why do it?  Well, first of all, I have loved reading the Scripture for over 50 years now.  I taught the Scriptures on multiple levels from Sunday messages in a Church, to Bible Studies, to Young Adults' discipleship formation, to lectures in a college setting.  I love the Scriptures because it is the Word of God delivered to us from God through human authors, and as Paul reminded Timothy, “it is profitable”. Matthew was a disciple of Jesus, also called Levi, he was not like most of the other disciples. Many of the disciples were middle-class, some commoners, and several were fishermen by trade (which made them middle-class commoners).  We don't know what all of them did, but we do know what Matthew ...
Post a Comment
Read more